A curation and exploration of the things that inspire the most.

Back to the daily grind after a wonderful long Easter weekend, and while I’m still in a Mini Egg coma, I’m looking forward to getting back into my little routine and getting the week started.

We spent the weekend visiting family and friends in New Brunswick, and even managed to get a few of our own errands done (we popped in to see the jeweller we like in Saint John to place an order for our wedding bands!).

It’s been a while since I’ve spent more than 24-ish hours in NB, so having roughly 2.5 days at the homestead was a really nice change. I loved not feeling so rushed – I got to spend a decent amount of time with my mama bear, brother, dad, grandmother, and even a quick visit at a family brunch with my sister who had (hours before) just returned from her honeymoon. I got a whole night to spend with one of my best friends and his fiance, plus an afternoon visit with a childhood gal pal.

Living one province over and a 4-ish hour drive from my family can be hard. I often miss my parents and am envious of my siblings who can just pop in to see our parents whenever they want to, take a walk, have a coffee, and so on. I also miss many of the ‘smaller’ holiday family gatherings, like Easter, Mother’s/Father’s Day, and Thanksgiving. (Hey, sometimes when a precious long weekend rolls around, I can’t fathom the idea of rushing, travelling, etc.). I also love spending these special weekends with Josh, and/or with his family too, so it’s always a delicate mix and balance.

We don’t have any set plans, rituals, or commitments – when a holiday or free weekend comes by, we don’t alternate between families, or have any real routine. We treat each one as an individual opportunity and do whatever it is we feel like doing at that time. This works well for us most of the time, but sometimes I do hate how it’s easier to just stay here – an automatic cop-out that usually means time with Josh’s family.

Historically, I/we seem to travel to New Brunswick every 3-6 months, meaning we find ourselves in the Motherland 2-4 times a year. (I usually also get a visit from at least one parent once a year, and a visit from a friend or two). I don’t know what I think the ‘right’ amount of visits is, or what would constitute ‘enough.’ But sometimes, I wish it were more!

I didn’t ever intend on moving away from New Brunswick and staying away, it just sort of happened. When I was 17 I left home for Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec, and after finding myself miserable in a painfully small town of drunken, coked-up university kids (sorry, Bishop’s lovers!), I made the move to Halifax to start the PR program at the Mount.

I’ve pretty well always felt ‘home’ in NS, probably because it is very similar to NB. I love living by the ocean, the small city vibes, and being close-ish to my family. During the university years, a friend introduced me to Josh, and I scored great job after great job – all things that kept me in the city even though I had never really made a conscious effort to stay here.

We’ve since bought a home, and I’ve come to love Dartmouth as a community of my own. It’s the perfect mix of urban suburbia – if that’s a thing? I love living so close to downtown Halifax, but also really love the distance from the office/hustle and bustle that living in a small residential pocket of the city provides.

This is a bit of a long ramble about nothing, really, but when I leave NB I always have a mix of emotions. As if Monday mornings aren’t hard enough, but here I am adding feelings to the equation! I love my NB and my NS homes, I just sometimes wish the two mixed and mingled a little more.

The silver lining from this weekend’s trip to NB: we’ll find ourselves back there again in a month or so when our wedding bands are made!